David Kinch facts for kids
| Born | April 4, 1961 Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| Cooking style | California cuisine |
| Education | Johnson & Wales University |
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Rating(s)
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Current restaurant(s)
The Bywater
Mentone Ritual at Manresa |
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Previous restaurant(s)
Manresa
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David Kinch (born April 4, 1961) is a famous American chef and restaurant owner. He used to own and run a restaurant called Manresa in Los Gatos, California. This restaurant was very special and earned three Michelin stars in 2016. Michelin stars are a top award for restaurants, showing they have amazing food. Chef Kinch's cooking style is called California cuisine. It mixes ideas from French, Catalan, and Japanese cooking.
Kinch opened another restaurant in Los Gatos called The Bywater in 2016. Manresa was also named one of the "World's 50 Best Restaurants" by Restaurant Magazine. It was also in America's Top 50 Restaurants by Gourmet magazine. The San Francisco Chronicle gave it four stars, which is their highest rating. David Kinch is also a dean at the International Culinary Center. He won the "Best Chef in America" award for the Pacific region from the James Beard Foundation. He was also named GQ's Chef of the Year in 2011.
Chef Kinch's Journey
David Kinch finished his studies at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island in 1981. He started his cooking career in New York City at the Hotel Parker Meridian. Later, he became an executive chef at La Petite Ferme. In 1984, he went to France to work with Chef Marc Chevillot.
In 1985, he joined "The Quilted Giraffe" in New York City. He worked hard and moved up to a management chef position. After that, Kinch spent five months at Mount Eden Vineyards in California. He helped make wine there. Then, he went to Japan to work at the Hotel Clio Court restaurant. After Japan, he returned to Northern California. He worked in the kitchens of San Francisco's Silks and Ernie's restaurants.
Kinch spent two more years in Europe. He worked with famous chefs like Dieter Müller in Germany. He also worked with Marc Meneau in France and Pedro Subijana in Spain. These experiences helped him learn many different cooking styles.
Opening His First Restaurant
In 1995, David Kinch opened his first restaurant called Sent Sovi. It was a bistro-style restaurant in Saratoga, California. He ran this restaurant with Aimee Hébert for seven years.
Kinch then started Manresa in Los Gatos in 2002. At first, not many people noticed it. But local newspapers soon called it "a culinary dream venue." This meant it was a perfect place for people who really love food. Kinch bought the building where the Village House restaurant used to be. He said that famous chef Thomas Keller encouraged him to buy his own building. Manresa closed at the end of 2022. However, it reopened in 2024 as "Ritual at Manresa." Now, it's a place where other Michelin-starred chefs can come and cook for a month.
Chef Kinch also runs Mentone. This is a French and Italian restaurant he opened in Aptos, California, in 2020.
His Cookbook
In October 2013, David Kinch released his cookbook. It was called Manresa: An Edible Reflection. The book had 328 pages and was written with Christine Muhlke. It featured beautiful photos by Eric Wolfinger. Another famous chef, Eric Ripert, wrote the introduction for the book.
Television Appearances
David Kinch has also appeared on television. He was a guest judge on the ABC reality show The Taste in 2013. He judged an episode called "Daring Pairings." He also appeared as a guest judge on Top Chef in seasons 11 and 15.
Kinch was featured in season four of The Mind of a Chef. He shared the 2016 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Culinary Host with Gabrielle Hamilton for their work on the show.
